Lunch at Royal Beach

Tuesday we had double booked, lunch at the Royal Park in Lloret de Mar and then the Medieval banquet at an unknown venue inside a castle for dinner. Trouble was that the coach wasn’t to bring us back from lunch until 18.30 and it was a long way, especially with all the drop offs at the other hotels and our evening coach was for 19.45. At the last minute when the coach arrived I decided to go to our room and fetch the car keys and follow the coach in the car. That way we could come home when we liked. I dashed up the lift, into our room, unlocked the safe, got the keys, locked up again and rushed back down to see the coach disappear into the distance. We rushed off in the wrong direction as the car was on the wrong side of a dual carriageway in chase. Eventually we could see it in the distance and could follow when it turned until we caught it up.

The Royal Beach is another 4 star hotel in the H Top chain and it also is not next to the beach. It had a slightly down-market feel to it compared to ours but they would let us use our all inclusive cards for drinks. Strange that they are not consistant. I have to say that the food was worse than at our hotel and to make matters worse it rained all day so we couldn’t go outside to the pool or to discover Lloret de Mar. Thank goodness we weren’t on the coach and could drive off as soon as we had finished lunch. The rain we are experiencing has been promised by the forecasters from Tuesday until we return so the best of the weather has gone. At least we had two good days at the beginning.

Off we went in search of some shopping centre that Claire had seen an advert for. Eventually we found it and it is called Matara Park. They also had 12 cinemas but when we checked none of the films were in English and were dubbed over rather than sub-titled. As I write this a pneumatic drill has just fired up right outside our window on the street below – joy! At least the kids might get to breakfast for once. We had about an hour around the shopping center and we all finished off with a hot chocolate. Literally a hot chocolate, which had to be spooned out rather than drank – mmm yummy!

Back home in time for a shower and change ready for the banquet. The coach set off on time in the pouring rain stopping at every hotel on the way. Eventually we ended up at a huge castle in the middle of nowhere. As it was still raining but Claire had come prepared with her shower cap from the hotel. We were ushered for photos into a huge main hall where there were approximately 1200 people seated into the sloping sided arena. Quite different from anything I had seen before but it was too dark and big for the camera to pick up. We were entertained with knights on horses doing a kind of dressage thing whilst playing classical music. We felt they should have been playing medieval songs like Green sleeves. We noticed that the hall had four different colours, red green yellow and blue and we were sat in the blue area. Then four different coloured knights came out competing with each other on horseback. Really good and exciting to watch especially as our knight won the first three events. Also we had the British football crowd on our side cheering him on – get the picture? Each time a knight won he was presented a flower from the Queen which he would throw to his favorite girl in the audience. Claire was this girl the last time but we were right at the top so he had to race towards the crowd on his horse and throw the flower as he stopped short of landing on the kids on the front row. Unfortunately it didn’t reach Claire, but at least he tried.

Lunch at Amaika

We grumble a little about the food at this hotel but most other things are fine. H Top Hotels have 13 hotels in Costa Brava and they allow guests to freely visit the others in the group. There have courtesy buses constantly traveling between hotels and other places of interest. You do have to book the day before if you want lunch at a different hotel and can only book 2 days in advance but it is free to dine there. If you have a drink at the bar your all inclusive card doesn’t work so you will have to pay. This is a shame as that would put the icing on the cake for this chain. Monday we booked in at the Amaika hotel in Calella further down the coast from Pineda de Mar where we are staying. There are 6 4 star hotels in this area so we have booked 3 others for lunch to try so we can compare them for other travelers.

The Amaika is a smaller hotel and not right on the beach front so the views wouldn’t be so good from the rooms. The pool is quite small and on the ground floor near reception which seemed unusual to us and not much seating or lounging area around it. What the hotel lacked in position was certainly made up for by the food which was excellent. On arrival in the dinning room we were shown to a table and served drinks at our table rather than queuing at the restaurant bar as we do in ours. The girls had Cokes and Claire and I both asked for red wine. To our surprise the cokes were in bottles and we shared a bottle of red rather than the draught Coke and carafe in ours. They had a very good choice of fish, meats and vegetables along with the normal salads, soups, pastas and sweets. They even had a chocolate mousse which we all enjoyed and Claire said it was just like her favorite school sweet. As there were no seats left on the bus for this trip I had to drive so Claire found herself polishing off the rest of the bottle on her own. This is why she had a little sleep upon our return to our room.

W had a little look along the beach at Calella and then headed back to our beach. It was very rough and windy but it didn’t stop the girls having fun. It was quite dangerous as it was so easy to loose your footing with the strong backwash and we nearly lost the girls a couple of times.

The entertainment at the hotel was a little more unusual than the first two nights starting with two guys dressed as Knights in a very realistic sword fight. We were showered with sparks several times and the girls ran out of the room for cover. Some children were literally hiding under the tables but everyone had astonished looks on their faces. It’s a shame I was so busy watching to think of getting the camera out. Likewise when they got four unsuspecting show off guys out of the audience to compete for a girl by dancing, stripping and seeing who could kiss the most girls from the audience in one minute. Of course, I won!

Off to sunny Spain

Off to a flying start getting ready to go away. As Claire likes the small hoover around the studio flat and hates the one in the kebab flat because it smells we brought the little one home. The toilet seat we ordered from B&Q turned up broken so my job while Claire had her beauty treatment was to sort them all out and get a haircut on my way back. The B&Q thing took almost an hour no trouble dropping the new hoover off but when I got back in the car it wouldn’t start as the battery was flat. HOW? I had only just stopped there without any trouble. Phoned up the recovery people and waited another hour, Claire wasn’t answering her phone so left a message. The man said it wasn’t the battery but my starter motor connection. I was pleased because I had just spent £100 on a new battery as the previous recovery man told me it had had it. This one said he would be surprised if the last time was the battery as it is a very common fault with Rover engines. Off to get my hair cut at my newly discovered barbers in Wolverton as its only £3.50 a go. Had to wait another hour as he is very slow and two Indians were having their hair cut for what must have been the first time since they arrived in the country.

The day arrived and we are off to sunny Spain to relax for a week. I pick the girls up straight to the airport no trouble so we treated ourselves to a box of donuts. No trouble with the flight and first through passport control but last off with the luggage. This didn’t matter as it gave me time to fill in the paperwork for the car which was sensibly positioned in baggage claim at Gerona airport. Picked up the car, well van, but they did rip us off by filling the thing with petrol and telling us to bring it back empty so they could charge us the highest gas price in Spain 98 Euros for a tank full.

Having read the hotel reviews we were pleasantly surprised at the hotel, it really is 4 star. Lovely reception and rooms with balconies overlooking the sea having spectacular views. Very spacious and clean rooms, first class. Down we shoot for our free bar before dinner, great start and even the food was well presented and edible. The only thing spoiling it was the other guests waiting for the dinning room doors to open and acting like they hadn’t eaten for a week. This created a bit of a “bun fight” but the food was reasonable with fresh salad and two types of soup, fish and meat dishes and the normal pasta and chips.

Off for the entertainment which was a magic tricker and his assistant. When they first came on we thought it was Zorro and Robin from Batman but it then turned into a sort of strip show where they stripped down to the normal magic garb. His assistant looked very fit. Quite a good show for that sort of thing, he kept producing sedated pigeons from everywhere.

Claire and I didn’t have a very good first nights sleep as the walls really are as thin as the reports on trip advisor. The train line runs between the sea and our hotel but they don’t run until about 5.30am but the Italians in the two rooms next to ours were shouting until 1am. Luckily they left with their luggage in the morning, but not before we returned the compliment between 6 and 8am having showers and the tv on, accidentally falling into their adjoining wall a couple of times. What made it worse was we had to have our balcony door open as the aircon is switched off on 1st October for the start of winter. Unfortunately the pool bar closes the same day so if you want a drink when your at the pool on the to floor, you have to go to the ground floor and back with a drink. Likewise if you want a snack but they don’t allow you to take food out so you have to eat it in the bar area.

Claire and I shot off for our walk after breakfast where we walked to the next town to the south of us and back. We were surprised just how many fitness fanatics were out but why not, the views were great. Georgina and Jenny eventually got up and by this time we were sunning ourselves at the pool settling in for a lazy day. After lunch it was more of the same by the pool but Claire and I set off for another walk northwards to the next town and back before we returned for a shower before dinner. The girls tried their first cocktail and Claire employed herself getting as many people on the dance floor as possible.

Here Today, Gone Tomorrow

I took this photograph of the bin outside when I parked up outside the kebab flat one night this week. As always I have my camera in my ‘saddle sack’ as Phil calls it and it was so weird I couldn’t resist a shot. When I got safely inside, I showed the shot to Phil and he said something along the lines that “God has been”. To be honest I have seen some very strange things since living in the kebab flat that nothing really surprises me much anymore. I have seen a man in his PJ’s buying milk at the city store next door and we had a bloke running starkers right by past our lounge window right admist the rat territory. When I was queuing just the other day to buy electric on our card for our meter, I was surprised at the number of single blokes buying either a single can of cold beer or the cheapest half bottle of scotch before midday. Most bizzare. You have to believe me when I say that I don’t feel as if I fit in here. Honestly I don’t.

Phil wasn’t very well yesterday morning and I have to say I wasn’t very sympathetic at first, having put down his un-wellness down to too much beer and a very late night with the Wednesday night boys. But I was wrong; he had a fever and a very nasty red rash. Too bad that I had a list of jobs for him to do and although I knew he didn’t really feel like it, I had to make him. First up, I had to get him to take off the bathroom door and then rip out all the silver fish ridden skirting -board. Next up, was ripping out the old plastic silver looking towel rail which took some doing. He sprayed the silver fish remnants and I did my bit by hovering up the weird things and finally by scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees, literally. I did feel bad for Phil, especially as it was obvious he had a fever but it had be done. On Monday we have David (our posh plumber) booked in to replace the sink, bog and to re-tile the floor. Normally of course, we would do it ourselves but there is no way can live here without a toilet. We are out of the country next week and much against Phil’s economic drive, we have no choice but to get in a man that can do the job and pay for the privilege. Hey ho………….

Somewhere around mid morning we drove to IKEA to pick up some mirror type splash-back for the back of the freestanding 2 plate electric hotplate. Unfortunately for us, IKEA have stopped production of the cheap aluminium splash-back due to technical reasons until December. B&Q do something in a similar range of a far higher quality but at a stupid inflated price. We settled on 2 packs of mirror wall tiles at £4.99 for a pack of 4 and even though I say it myself, they look fabulous.

Phil downloaded a voucher for 2 for 1 at ASK in the Sno-zome so we went there for lunch. The big boy choose a calzone which looked and tasted pretty good, while yours truly opted for a chicken penne pasta thingy with a mushroom sauce. It wasn’t great and so obviously not freshly cooked and needless to say, I won’t be going back there. They charged us £11.50 for 2 glasses of mediocre wine and even with no pudding and the 2-4-1 deal, the bill still came to 25 quid.

We got back and Phil died on the sofa. Not literally so don’t panic, but the rash had spread to his face and he didn’t look very good. I left him and went to my safety haven ‘David Lloyd’ for a scrub down and a shower. I really wanted to book in for a lime and ginger exfoliation because I had at £10 voucher off which expires at the end of Oct ’08 but there just wasn’t time. Janet saved the day with a tub of Sanctuary Spa Convent Garden Body Butter which she gave me for my birthday, which did the job just as good.

Today is finish off jobs; VAT return, PAYE, take the toilet seat back to B&Q, collect the post from Kiln Farm, put up the rack in the kitchen and get a Phil a haircut. As I type this Phil is still asleep and so I am really hoping he is better today. He is refusing to go to the doctor so I am I am home medicating him with aspirin, anti-histamine and Aquarius cream which was prescribed for him by the doctor for his Jacuzzi rash when we were aboard the Queen Mary 2.

This afternoon we’re going to see Ghost Town at The Odeon which has just been released. Tomorrow morning Phil will pick up Georgina and her friend Jennifer and we will are flying out to Costa Brava around midday for a weeks stay at the Pineda Palace in Pineda De Mar. Phil's paid good money and it’s meant to be a 4* but two thirds of the reviews on Trip Advisor are really grim. The lead review when I last checked was entitled “Never again” and the review below it was called "never again, ever!" So I have no great expectations of the hotel especially as Pineda De Mar lies between Lorret De Mar and Tossa De Mar, which just about sums it all up really. Forever the optimist, I wait to be pleasantly surprised, but deep down I don’t hold out much hope. So this blog is probably the last from me until we return. Next week, you will no doubt, be reading all about Phil’s rants and raves from the Costa Brava. Adiós a mis amigos!

Girlie talk

When I was in at Saks having my hair done on Tuesday, I spotted a poster offering a free Beautytek session. Never one to miss out on a freebie, I booked myself in for a session yesterday. Now I had never heard of Beautytek which is apparently fairly new to the UK. The blurb in the brochure says that “Beautytek is a non-invasive totally natural body sculpting technique which offers a tailor made pain-free alternative to surgery, giving excellent results”. Here is the website if you want to read all the technical stuff. http://www.meditechclinics.co.uk/ Too good to be true I thought to myself but I’ll try anything once.

Sarah the beauty consultant administering my treatment was very professional. First up she asked me to take off all my jewellery and strip to my knickers while she took my ‘before’ photographs. She also got her take measure out and measured around my middle. Then it was up on the bed when Sarah rubbed some kind of blue cream on my belly. She had a micro-current energy stick think linked up to her computer and for a whole hour she rubbed this backwards and forward on and around my stomach area. It didn’t hurt and was quite pleasant but I was bored by the end of it and willing her to finish.

After she finished she took my ‘after’ photographs, measured me again and downloaded the photos on to her computer screen. I have to say, I was pretty amazed with my ‘after’ photographs and according to her measurements, I’d lost an inch and a half around my hips. Not bad for an hour and a half and the bonus was that it was free! Alas, the downside; Sarah recommends a course of 12 treatments at a cost of £1200! The price was way out of my league but I would definitely have this treatment for all my life if I won the lottery. I do wonder in the light of the credit crunch whether the cost of this treatment will come down? If anyone is interested, Sarah is offering a free consultation and treatment for the remainder of this week and next week only. If you want to try it out, her number is 07718 538046 or email, sarah.mk@meditechclinics.co.uk.

The beauty salon at David Lloyd is improving and in case anyone is remotely interested they now have a registered practitioner offering Colon Hydrotherapy. I tried this at a place in Northampton and wasn’t impressed with the consultant but I may revisit this treatment and get a colonic once I got a job and some money to pay for it. I am not sure what the cost of treatment is because it doesn’t say in the brochure but here is the web-link http://www.miltonkeynescolonics.com/.

Harriet came round last after she finished work. She put in a prior request for me to cook her mashed potatoes with peas and green beans which she wolfed down. She said these were the first veggies she had eaten since living with her dad. Apparently the rent she pays her dad doesn’t include food or coke and much to her disgust, she is having to buy her own. Phil and I find the whole Chris/Harriet living together tales highly amusing and struggle to keep a straight face when she relays them.

After supper Harriet and I went down to the tanning shop by the YMCA for a sun-bed. Unbelievably she wanted to go in the car but I persuaded her it was easier to take the 3 minute walk. I used to use the tanning shop years ago but this was the first time for Harriet so she wanted me to go with her for the first time. The shop hasn’t changed much and one tanning salon is pretty much the same as another. This salon is slightly more expensive than the one in Newport Pagnell but the fans are a million times more efficient and you don’t sweat at all. It’s certainly worth the extra pound or so in my humble opinion. Harriet was impressed and said she go at the weekend; she is still a golden honey colour after her holiday and wants to keep it up for a while.

After Harriet left, Phil got picked up by Alfy and met up with the Wednesday night gang at the Barge in Woolstone. When he'd gone, I got into my dressing gown and soaked my feel in a bowl of hot water with oil whilst watching Coronation Street with a glass of wine. When the water went cold I dryed off my feet and gave myself a much needed pedicure and varnish. I don't know whether it was the after effect of the 'Beautytek' treatment but I was feeling really tired so I turned off the TV and was asleep before 9. All this beauty body maintenance is hard work!

Domestic Diva

Yesterday we had a letter from the Lionhearts Cruising Club offering us Ordinary Membership and wishing us many happy times with the club. As you would expect, Phil was over the moon that we’d passed the interview but I am not so excited. Not having spent any time on a canal boat, I worry, that should we ever secure a mooring and subsequently a barge, I won’t like it. Plus the prospect of being on a weekly rota for cleaning the club’s toilets for god knows how many years, doesn’t really thrill me. The letter dated the 14th October has taken over a week to arrive because of the post redirection and as result we missed the general meeting which was held on Monday. I expect the committee would have liked us to attend this meeting especially as in the letter they are wanting a cheque for £180. I don’t know why but I don’t have a good feeling about this venture of Phil’s but I shall attend the next general meeting in November with an open mind. If anything, it will be good stuff for the blog and will give me new people to gossip about! Yeah, sad I know.


If I was in any doubt that I was destined to be a cleaner, then an email from MK Council inviting me to be a ‘cleaning monitor’ for our kebab block confirmed this. I think they are so fed up with me complaining about the lack of maintenance that they figured they may as well get me on their side. Of course, I emailed back straight away to say “yes, I would very much like to be a cleaning monitor” and await further instructions.

Phil is nagging me to get off my backside and get a job and I am on the case, although I will admit my focus has been on redecorating the kebab flat rather than employment. I saw an advert for cleaners in the city centre, £7 per hour plus you get a uniform so I may well apply. Phil’s manager called his team into a meeting last week and told everyone that times were hard and the company was cutting back. They were told they’re not allowed to use the internet even in lunchtimes, calls to mobile no’s were barred and there was to be no non-related work chatter other than in toilets or in the canteen. Of course Phil is alarmed because he is a contractor and will be the first out the door (again) if they cut bums on seats. It maybe the push he needs and I am sure whatever happens, it will be for the best.

On Monday I went to ward 18 to see John and drop off some cruise brochures that I had picked up for him to look at in the centre. John's friend David from work was there visiting which was good because I didn’t actually arrive until less than an hour before the end of visiting time. Unfortunately John was not so great, despite being tied up to the drip 24/7 since Friday, he’d actually lost some weight. It must be difficult to stay upbeat when you’re in constant discomfort and with so much time to think about what was and what will be. Bless him; hopefully he’ll turn a corner in the next few days and will be allowed home at the weekend.

It was a bit on the chilly side but the sun was shining and yesterday I met up with Jan and Funmi for a walk around the OU grounds. It's good to get the exercise but the best bit is having the chance to get things of our chests which I think we all did. Okay I may have moaned more than the others but remember I don't get out much! Afterwards I went to see Rachel to get my hair done at Saks in the upstairs of David Lloyd. She is a sweet young girl but I feel sorry for her having me as a client. I constantly wiggle & squiggle in my seat and question every snip she takes. Against her advice, I have gone shorter and blonder and feel 100% better in myself. The best bit though was discovering that Tuesday’s is 20% off day which I hadn’t realised before.

Last night we night me and Phil went to see Burn after Reading at the Odeon. We are waiting to go and see Ghost with Ricky Gervais but this isn’t released until Friday. The film last night was good not least because it starred George Clooney and Brad Pitt. I’d rate it 6/10 but Phil thought it was “fantastic”. It was very pleasant looking at George for a couple of hours but Brad doesn’t do anything for me. Phil says this is because I don’t like skinny short men and he is right. Anyway, we had a nice time with our smuggled wine in our bicycle bottles and M&S scooby snacks and last night we even remembered the torch. It’s a plus having the cinema right on our door step and we still get a real buzz walking out the front door and straight through the Centre. How sad are we?? No don’t answer that!!!

Life is a Beach

I know we’ve used this title before but I don’t really care very much this morning. It’s before 6am when my internet speed is at is fastest and I’m not really feeling that awake, let alone creative.

On Thursday morning we drove down to Suffolk to say goodbye to John (step dad number 2) and his partner Marie. John and Marie are going across the channel and are driving through France and down to Le Manga in Spain where they will be spending the winter. In fact,157 days of the winter to be precise. They are new to camper-vans, only having brought their campervan last year; this trip is only their second overseas.

After a quick coffee on arrival, Phil and I spent nearly an hour admiring their van. It cost more than we paid for our kebab flat and is obviously their pride and joy. Don’t get me wrong, it certainly was plush inside but if you read the blog last year, you would know that me and Phil had a bad experience in a campervan. In fact it was so bad we vowed never to step foot in a campervan ever again! That said, whilst I am not jealous, I admire J&M for attempting the long journey and hope they have a happy and sunny winter in Le Manga. After the campervan tour we hopped in the car and went to a pub called The Raven for lunch. It was cheap and cheerful and really quite nice food for pub grub.

Just after 4pm we said our goodbyes and headed to Woodbridge to see Louise and Mark. Louise said she would leave her back door unlocked but there was no need because Mark was working from home that day and was there to let us in and make us a cup of tea. We always love staying at Mark & Lou’s house because it is so luxurious. After 2 weeks living in the kebab flat, it felt even more spacious and luxurious then ever before! Mark cooked us salmon with new potatoes, broccoli, roasted red peppers and green beans. It was delicious but I couldn’t eat it all after my 10 ounce steak at lunchtime. After dinner we retired to the lounge in the attic where we watched a recorded documentary about designer vaginas. Phil is such a woss that he had to look away for most of it but I thought it was most enlightening.

We weren’t late to bed because L&M had to work the next day but Phil and I still managed to drink loads of wine so we felt a bit worse for wear the next day. It was such a lovely morning that Louise suggested we stop off at Felixstowe and have a walk along the beach to blow away the cobwebs. I wasn’t keen because I knew how much there was on my ‘to do’ list but Phil insisted we do a detour. Just as we were on our way out, my sister Julia dropped in for a cup of tea on her way to work. It was nice to be able to see her so we stayed for a bit longer to catch up with her news before setting off to Felixstowe around half eight.

When we got there I was glad that Louise and Phil had persuaded me to go to the beach because it really was a beautiful morning. True to say, there was a bit of an easterly wind blowing and I had no coat but the sun was shining across the sea and I had one of those very rare moments where I felt glad to be alive. Phil was really taken with Felixstowe and was looking at a house with a ‘for sale’ board outside and wondering how much it was up for. I do like Felixstowe but it’s not my favourite place in the UK and whilst I would love to live by the sea, I don’t want to spend my last days in England, the weather is way too lousy. Phil agreed but then he said we could spend hthe winter abroad and the summer in England living by the coast. Seems sensible but as I sit typing this in the kebab flat, retirement seems a long way away.

Before I forget, I must tell you we had an offer of £80k on the kebab flat. Our asking price is

£109k which Phil thinks is way too low, despite the falling market. Of course, we said no to the agent and there have been no other offers since. It was an investment buyer and obviously he didn’t want to negotiate. That’s fine, we are nowhere nearly finished with our refurbishment; we have the bathroom to replace, the laminate floors to lay and the doors to sort. Only once this is done can we seriously begin to market the kebab flat.

We got back to Milton Keynes around 11am but decided to go and buy supplies and materials before going straight home. First up we headed for IKEA and brought a chest of drawers and a 2 ring hotplate. Phil had ordered one that fits into the worktop but it was going to take 3 weeks before delivery. We picked up our flat pack from aisle 18 but ditched this when we found a similar chest of drawers in the bargain bucket corner for only £19.50. Unfortunately we had to pick up the hotplate from the IKEA warehouse just up by B&Q and this took nearly an hour because there had been an accident. We had to ditch the car in avenue 2 and walk to avenue 3 because the police were blocking it off but when we realised how far it was we turned back, got back in the car and drove to avenue 3 from avenue 1. A nightmare and Phil was cursing like there was no tomorrow!
In the afternoon I left Phil filling in all the potential mouse holes in the kitchen while I went to ward 18 at Milton Keynes General to see John. I last spoke about John in the blog a few weeks ago, when despite catching C-Diff, he was back at home and was doing well. Since then however he hasn’t been able to shake off the super-bug and has not been able to digest or keep down his food. As a result he was admitted to ward 18 last Wednesday. The doctors and nurses have given him a nutrition plan which will hopefully feed him up and give him some strength back. I have to say, despite what he has been through over the summer; John as per usual still had a smile on his face throughout my visit. Sure he looked a little weak and frail but we talked about his plans for the future and I am positive he can get through this blip in his life. I am going to get some cruise brochures from the centre today and may drop these off later if I have time.

Phil got up very early on Saturday to watch the qualifying and as a result was very grumpy all day long. He would have loved to have a day doing not very much but unfortunately I had a list of jobs as long as your arm. It was also not good that his tennis elbow was really hurting him. We spent much of the day in the kitchen sorting out the plumbing for the washer/dryer and fitting the work top. This wasn’t easy not least because it was as hot as a furnace in the kitchen but also because it is such a small space to work in. It wasn’t the best of days but now I have at last a finished kitchen, with a microwave, a combi microwave, a fridge/freezer, a washer/dryer and a 2 ring hot plate. On Saturday night we slobbed out on the sofa with wine and watched the X-Factor.

Phil had another early start on Sunday morning when he got up to watch the grand prix live from China. It wasn’t as early as Saturday morning and I didn’t mind because I was already awake when he switched on the light. I caught up with a big heap of paperwork and we had a leisurely morning with a late breakfast. Phil wasn’t in the mood because he hadn’t slept very well but I made him put up a shelf in the bathroom and re-hang the picture boards. We went to B&Q to buy some white board for the boxing in the bathroom and then it was back home for lunch. After I washed up we sat and watched an old black and white film called Yanks. It was mushy and corny but somehow perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

Movies, Moans & White Goods

One of the very few good things about living in the kebab flat is that it is handy for the cinema. We can literally go out of the front lobby, walk a straight line through the centre, past Starbucks and McDonalds and we end up on the doorstep of The Odeon. Like Cineworld, Tuesday night is also half price at The Odeon. Me and Phil prefer The Odeon over Cineworld mainly because we its empty and we literally have the cinema to ourselves. It’s rather like having our very own cinema room albeit across the boulevard.

I forgot to mention in the blog but last Tuesday night me and Phil went to see ‘How to Lose Friends & Alienate People’; a film based on a book written by Tony Young. As well as half price tickets, we also got a free copy of Toby’s new book entitled ‘The Sound of No Hands Clapping’. And yes, you’ve guessed right, it was my night to choose but Phil surprisingly didn’t moan as much as he usually does. Phil said it was a clever film but I found it in most parts to be laboured and somewhat over exaggerated but maybe that’s just me and my lack of a sense of humour. It got better as it went along but I’d only rate it 5 out of 10.

The film we saw last night called ‘Taken’ however, was brilliant and we both really enjoyed it. It’s a story about kidnap and me and Phil were on the edge of our seats from start to finish. I let out a few piercing screams so it was a good job that we were the only two in the cinema. Anyway I diversify, I’d give the movie 10 out of 10 and can totally recommend a viewing, even if you don’t get to see this at the cinema you must get it out on DVD when it’s released.

Back to my week so far; everything that could go wrong for me on Monday, did so. I got to the shopping mall in Netherfield only to find that the launderette had been shut down. You really do have to walk the talk when you go down this stretch of shops, I was frightened for my life. Rough or what? Even the pensioners in the scooters looked dangerous! It makes our kebab block look like a walk in the park. I took my washing to the TMA flat which is still empty but as luck would have it has a washing and a dryer. However I couldn’t get the machine to work and came home with my bag still full of washing. Turns out that Phil had turned off the water.

Yesterday morning Emma came round for coffee with her little man (real name Kai). I was desperate to keen the latest gossip on the cul-de-sac and movements of our tenant and Emma wanted to see how low we’d sunk. She said “oh my god” as she entered every room but she said she didn’t think that the kebab flat was as bad as I’d made out. But then again she doesn’t have to live here. Emma didn’t have any dirt to dish on Ash our tenant. It appears that he is keeping himself to himself and Emma tells me the blinds in our house are never open. She finally got to have a few words with him on Monday morning when they both were putting out their rubbish sacks. She said that Ash said he was very happy living in our house of which I’m glad about. No honestly, I am happy that he’s happy living like a lord in my lovely house backing on to the canal. I wonder whether he will be as happy when he gets his electric bill in December. Other than that, Emma said that the poker parties were still going on and the dogs were still barking mad. Some things never change hey?

After she left, I had to wait in for the fridge/freezer to be delivered. A delivery slot of between 7am to 8pm is not good for the soul but our appliance came mid afternoon so I shouldn’t complain too much. Yesterday was a manic one. I went for my usual shower at David Lloyd but had to get back in time to let Jason in from Stony Stratford Aerials. Although Sky refused to put a pole and a dish on the roof, I managed to persuade Jason to ignore the freehold laws and yesterday morning in the drizzle, he got up his long ladder and has managed to erect an aerial that faces south. While Jason was up on the roof in the rain, the delivery van turned up with our new washer/dryer. They dumped this in the kitchen and just as they left the estate agent turned up with a client to view. I don’t hold any hopes mind you; the kebab flat was looking particularly grim and they were in our flat for no more than a minute tops. To make matters worse somebody had dumped a minging sofa and a fridge right outside our front door and we'd added our oven, washer/dryer and fridge/freezer to the pile of rubbish, so the front lobby really does like steptoe’s yard. Not an attractive look.

The aerial on the pole looks hideous but at long last we have a digital connection and can see the free-view channels inbuilt in the TV. To get a digital connection into the kebab flat has cost us the best part of nearly 300 quid but hopefully it will be worth it. Phil was in his element last night flicking away watching everything and nothing in particular. He was so excited at one point he forgot what programme he was actually viewing! This thing with the remote has to be a man thing. I used to get upset but it’s a battle I can never win and these days I don’t even bother. Still on the upside of the digital aerial at least now I can go ahead and sort out the broadband.

Every cloud and all that.........................

A hard days night

Not much happened over the weekend for me to talk about but I suppose now that I’ve logged in, I’ll have a go. It’s been a hard couple of days & night and we’ve been working like a dog. Phil really struggled to lay the tiles as his tennis elbow was really killing him. I did my bit by doing the grouting but it’s the laying and cutting which is the most difficult.

The tiling of the kitchen floor wasn’t straight forward and when we took off the skirting board we found out that we had an infestation of silver fish. I rushed out to get some stuff to spray. I squealed and shivered when I saw them falling on the new tiles but I was just so relieved that we didn’t find any mice. Emma the tenant living here before Mr & Mrs Dutta had us get out Rentakill on 3 occasions and when she left she told us that the mice were still there. Silver fish I can live with but a mice infestation would really be the last straw.

With half the kitchen missing and the white goods living in the bedroom we still are really in a mess. After a couple of visits to Currys & Comet and some online research, Phil ordered us a new fridge freezer and a washer dryer which should be delivered sometime this week. To save space and gain an extra cupboard we’ve decided we can live with a 2 ring hot plate and a combination microwave oven, which we have yet to order. If everything goes to plan then we should get the kitchen finished by the end of the week and we can then start to think about the bathroom.

Getting on the internet is the bain of my life during the week but access at the weekend is nigh on impossible. Phil nearly lost the will to live when he was trying to order the hotplate and in the end he gave up and switched off. Maybe this week we shall get the internet and TV sorted once and for all. Jimmy phoned Phil and suggested BT Vision and Phil did started ordering this online but he’s worried that we still need an aerial so today I shall phone the order line and try and speak to a human.

On Saturday night we met up with David & Pat for a buffet meal at Red Hot in the theatre district. I was going to write David our posh plumber but now he’s a friend as well as our plumber. Phil & I enjoyed our lunch at Hot Chilli a month or so back but I wouldn’t go back there to eat in the evening. The place was heaving and the staff just couldn’t cope. David & Pat are good company though and we had a fun evening although I can’t quite believe I actually invited them back to the kebab flat for coffee. Pat said she didn’t think the flat was as bad as I’d made out but it was dark and plus also I think she was being kind. I took my camera and got David and Phil and Phil took a photo of me and Pat but I look really crap and can’t bring myself to post the picture. It’s the first time I’ve made any effort with my appearance in ages and I thought I looked alright but obviously not. The camera never lies.

I think I shall spend most of this week, well certainly Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday waiting in for deliveries and installation people. This morning I have Glenn from Stony Stratford Aerials who is coming out to give us some advice on aerials and communication options in general. Tomorrow I have Emma coming in the morning for coffee and to catch up on gossip about our tenant and in the afternoon I have got the fridge/freezer being delivered. I have also got Virgin Media bringing some sort of equipment which will give Phil a few extra channels on the TV. I’m not sure which channels and how many extra we will get but hopefully it will be enough to stop him moaning.

Yesterday we took the day off. Well sort of. Phil got up at 4.30am to watch the Grand Prix live from Japan. Thankfully he didn’t wake me and I didn’t get up until 6.30pm which was still way too early considering our late night. Phil picked up Georgina from her house and drove to his mum and dad’s in Melton Mowbray for lunch. With a day to myself, I spent the morning catching up on paperwork and tidying the kebab flat. Harriet popped in after she picked up her holiday photographs from Boots. As usual she was moaning about her dad, about everything and nothing in particular. I told her it could be worse, she could be living in the kebab flat and she agreed.

In the afternoon I took myself off to David Lloyd and had a lovely swim in the outside pool. It was such a beautiful day and apart from one other person I had the pool to myself. It is now winter season and kids aren’t allowed in the outside pool so that made my swim even more enjoyable. After my swim I had a steam and a Jacuzzi finishing off with a nice long shower. Although we have been in residence for 16 nights I still don’t like using the shower here. I don’t know why because ironically the shower is much more powerful that the all singing bath-cum Jacuzzi at the cul-de-sac and we have plenty of hot water. So far I have had 2 showers and one hair wash and that was only because I couldn’t be arsed to drive to David Lloyd. Perhaps it will get easier when we makeover the bathroom???

Phil came back from his mum’s last night with a pile of magazines that his mum always keeps for me and a plated roast lamb dinner. She is so sweet and thoughtful and she knows I love her roast lamb, it’s my favourite roast. Actually it’s a good job really because without the cooker I can’t cook anything fresh. With the food issue sorted, I really need to get on top of the washing situation. I was going to get Phil to take a bag of washing for his mum to do but thought this was too cheeky so I stopped myself. It’s too expensive to take stuff for laundering at the dry cleaners so I think this when I go to the housing office in Netherfield to get a spare key entry fob this afternoon, I shall pay a visit to the launderette across the way. It’s been many years since I have been in a launderette, I seem to remember you need to take your own powder and need plenty of change??? I shall blog about the experience tomorrow because I have a feeling that it won’t be a good one. Can life get any better?